Free Last.FM Streaming On Your Phone On Its "Last" Leg

[DToTheJ]

In order to continue using it on your mobile devices, you will need to pony up $3 a month starting next week:
http://techland.time.com/2011/02/07/too-good-to-last-last-fm-to-start-charging-feb-15/

Streaming will remain free on their website.

 

[V.Riley]

Just imagine if AM/FM stations tried to do that with their radio signal. I don't think that the customer pay model works very well. Then again, Public Radio has been doing it for some time, and that is even with people who don't pay still listening.

So the question may be, is it better to have sponsors pay the bill for the cost of listening, or better for the listener to foot the bill? I'm sure most customers would rather listen to a hand full of commercials every hour than see yet another drain on ca$h flow. I'd hate to listen to fund raisers on Internet Radio.

 

[Casey]

I think Last.fm will come back as a free service once they lose the vast majority of their mobile users. It may be more restricted, but I doubt they will stay away. They need to be able to compete with their free competitors and mobile devices seem to be the future.